Wednesday, June 13, 2012

How Exciting!

Alas, it is summer now.  Or is it?  It was definitely summer when we left the South, but it is still more seasonally Spring here on the Atlantic where we have had plenty of rain, cool days and (this feels very strange) the children of New York are still in school.  Matthew and I have bid adieu to ol' Mississippi.  With an elated farewell to that Wild Kingdom we drove East towards Birmingham through the hot jungle, already well into it's yearly empire of kudzu growth.  

As we packed the car in the blazing heat we marched up and down our three-story fire escape, the center of operations of course being our tiny, non-air-conditioned apartment. 
By 2pm we were on the road.  All of the items that we didn't sell were transported downstairs to, The Old Town Consignment Shoppe, which now exists on the first floor of our building and is open for business.  It is located at the intersection of Hwy 309 & Church St. in lovely Byhalia.  


We are now lightyears away from the mid-south (for all you yankees that's a precise geographic term for the area wherein that particular Mid-Western feeling inhabits the other side of the Mason-Dixon line).  It was astonishing to witness how much things changed just traveling across the border from Mississippi into Tennessee, which I did every day I went to work, as well as many days that I didn't.   Basically, to access any business beyond a Piggly Wiggly and a Gas Station, I needed to do this.  I knew I was in Tennessee when the roads smoothed out and the areas bordering the road were landscaped, maintained, and even gardened.  This did not happen in MS outside of the, "Lawn of the Month" participants and, of course, the Ole Miss Campus.  
I still thought Mississippi was much prettier than Tennessee, often, because of its wild nature.  In  Tennessee I saw mowed grass and SUV's, not a lot of intrigue.  In Mississippi I saw wildflowers, herons and rusted-out trucks half a century old and still running or, sometimes, decomposing on a lawn.
Mississippi had a lot of crumbling sidewalks, completely overgrown by bush in some patches, and in others so angled and warped by tree trunks riding a bike over them becomes a stunt.  
I will miss the Magnolia trees, the acres of Honeysuckle, the grassy, fertile smell in the air and the storms.  I also regret not getting to know some people better, especially the gray haired black man opening up the food shack next to our building in our last weeks there.  He would work throughout the heat of the day, taking smoke breaks on a metal, folding chair outside the tiny building's back door. "Chicken, ribs, burgers...fish! Whatever people want I'll make."
What I see as paradoxical about this region of the country is how poor and delapidated this area is in contrast with the widely misunderstood, romanticized and out-dated notion that the Deep South is wealthy, friendly, well-manicured and dreamy.  It is dreamy, and sometimes friendly, but when I decided to move there I had no idea how depressing it would be.  I knew most of the state was poor but I didn't imagine how that would affect me as a resident.  And it is still, incredibly beautiful, in an un-touched, dreamy, wild sort of way.  As an outsider, I saw poverty as iconically beautiful, symbolizing life lived close to the earth in humility and without much need for luxury.  But I witnessed a state of affairs that was upside down from how I had romanticized.  I noticed people blowing money on temporary luxuries like electronics, living with mold, pollutants and allergens, sick, eating dramatically unhealthy diets, and violent or neglectful towards animals.  This is not how everyone lived, obviously, but it did not fit into my vision for how life would be.  


It is just so different from the standard of living in Los Angeles, Long Island, or even Atlanta.  People drive a lot in the Mid-South.  This also sharply contrasted with how I envisioned small-town life to be.  I pictured myself walking to work, walking to the store, walking everywhere.  No Ma'am.  It seems like  nobody ever thinks of walking if they have a car.  It is like that would make someone look poor or something. In Collierville, TN, where I worked, you are lucky to find a sidewalk, and people look out from their cars confusedly, it is a completely exposed feeling just to walk one mile.  
My fiance's brother visited and took one of our cars to the dealership for a repair.  He took a cab to meet me during my lunch break so I could give him my car but accidently got dropped off a few miles too soon.  No problem for him, being a backpacking outdoor expeditioner and all.  As he walked along the main road he was accosted by two police officers and searched.  While they searched him another officer pulled up and joined the search.  Having just gotten back from several months of backpacking throughout India, Nepal, Indonesia and beyond, he was appalled that it took coming back to the States to encounter a problem with the authorities.  


Anyway, I think people drive way too much in general.  There is definitely too much driving for me here on Long Island.  It's really just too much traffic, really.  It took me two hours to go 30 miles the other day.  Granted, it was Sunday afternoon, with the Hamptons people commuting back to the city and the Puerto Rican Day Parade happened to be rolling through Manhattan.  
The tough part is that the driving didn't end once our road trip ended in our arrival in New York two weeks ago.   There has been driving to the airport and driving to Rhinebeck and driving to the beach, driving into the city and Brooklyn and soon I will be driving to Boston. Till then I plan on spending as much time as possible out of car, which has been easy since I have been in extreme, pregnant-lady-that-just-arrived-home-after-years-of-living-everywhere-but-home, nesting mode.  


I will include more about our road trip, visits with family, how pregnant life on Long Island is going and what is in store for the future in the next installment of, THINGS THAT NEED HOMES! I may need to change the title back since I am no longer featuring items, but I sort of like the current title, it can be taken kind of poetically...Any suggestions!?







and, as the say in Kundalini Yoga:  


May the Long-Time Sun Shine Upon You
All Love Surround You
And, the Purest Light Within You
Guide Your Way On


<3 Ana

Saturday, May 19, 2012

GoodByhalia


Hey Everybody!

Here are the items in my home that we are not bringing with us.  I have not included prices because a lot of it I would just hand over to you since many of them are used or I got for free.  Also if you get a number of things we could just name a low price to include it all.  I am not looking to make a profit.  For the lamps and larger or nicer items you can name your own price if you are interested or I can tell you what I paid for them and then we can reduce that.  

I just thought I would put this out there since a lot of this stuff would otherwise end up at the consignment shop downstairs from us, goodwill, as trash, or out on the street : ( And also, we are preschool teachers and good at finding good uses for random stuff, right?

If you are interested in anything call me (631) 827-2984 or email me ana.callahan@gmail.com before next Friday.  I think I could bring any of the items to school with me if that would be most convenient.

Love you all and will miss you : )
Ana




Candlesticks



maybe still available (4 extra candles included)




 AM/FM Weather Radio

Regular dial radio also picks up weather reports during storms/tornado, battery back up in case of power outage. Pretty neat.

3-Switch Lamp

Nice lamp, from estate sale, has three settings for brightness.
 
Antique Two-Switch Lamp

Lovely lamp, also from estate sale in Byhalia, has neat little old-fashioned stand for placing items on. Light metal material.  Lamp has two bulbs with two separate switches, only one works right now could probably be easily repaired.

 
Small Glass Lamp

I love this lamp.

 Speakers

Altec Lansing Speakers, plugs for Aux and Headphones. Adjustable, can be plugged into computer, Ipod, etc. Sort of banged up externally but still work fine.

 Garbage Can

Why throw away a perfectly functioning trash can? I don’t know why Matt has such oversized bags in there.  Will clean! Pardon the excessive recycling.

 Toaster Oven

From garage sale in Olive Branch. Works great. Came with stains on top from something melting. Will clean.

Lawn Chair 

It’s gettin’ warm out. (Pillow not included)

 Straw "Queen" Broom, Dustpan w/broom, Feather Duster

Anyone need any of these items?
 
Three-Drawer Plastic Storage

You might even get some of the fun items inside!!!

 Over-the-Door Hanging Mirror

spoken for
Storage Ottoman w/Reversible Top



Neat Item.  I forgot to show how you can store stuff inside of it, rest your feet on it, or use it for setting drinks down on, etc.  There is a little tear in the corner you can see and you have to be careful not to slide it because it can scratch a floor, I put a towel under it or something with I move it.  
White Ceramic Cubes (2)

I am pretty sure these are meant for flower arrangement, my sister gave them to me, I’ve been using them to organize my small counter space.  They are really pretty.

 Corkboard

It’s gotta go!!!
 
Folding Table

It’s got kind of a tropical look to it. Bamboo-like material.

 Nightstand

Wood with granite top.  Heavy! Shelf on bottom for storage.

Monk's Bench


This is one item I would definitely have to charge for, its so dear to me.  Its travelled down from NY with me. Gift from my Dad’s friend. I don’t want to part with it. Real hardwood and doubles for storage.  It seems like an antique. It’s called a monk’s bench because this is said to be the only piece of furniture a traveling monk would own.  Fairly light when empty.  $75
 
Four-Drawer Hardwood Dresser (Broken)


This dresser has broken on us before and Matt repaired it with a lot of nails and a hammer. It’s breaking down again. I believe it could easily be fixed up properly, the inner rails are just loose at the bottom and need to be replaced or re-installed. Free

 Drying Rack


Handy. From Walmart. Folds up small when not in use.

  Blender

several people are interested, none definite
 Coffee Grinder

Just your classic electric coffee bean grinder. Gives your coffee an extra fresh taste.

French Press

Just made some coffee!



Baking Sheet

Can you have too many of these?


 Pyrex Collection

9” Pie Pan, 9x13” Casserole Dish, 8x8” Square Pan with Lid
 
Steamer

It steams vegetables! Free,

 Colander & Kitchen Items

 wine/bottle opener and can opener still available
Kitchen Towels


Can’t take em with me. Free.
 

 
Steaming Pot

Spoken for!!!
 Flatware Set

spoken for
China?



Not a complete set obviously, there is one more bowl not pictured as well. Great for ice cream, salads, etc.  I tried to show the strange detail on the edges.

Assorted Mugs

Two have broken handles, Definitely Free : )

Glass & Jar Collection


My lovely collection. I included this in case anyone might have an interest in jars for various purposes, lids are on another page. There are actually more jars that are not pictured. Free.

Lids and Bread Pan

Pretty self explanatory. There are actually two bread pans available. This one is slightly smaller and older than the other one. Free.